Chapter 28: Delphine’s Kindness
Rose fell asleep faster than she wanted. She could hear Delphine speaking in the background, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand a thing she was saying. She didn’t want to think about what had happened. She just wanted to forget it, and the soft bed being so soothing against her sore back was just what she needed.
The sound of rustling woke her up. She opened her eyes to see Delphine by the dresser, a powder puff to her face and a candlelight beside her. She turned to see Rose looking at her and smiled. Rose realized Delphine had been wearing makeup last night—no wonder her face had seemed oddly pale.
Delphine stood up and rushed toward Rose, gathering her dress in her hand. "I have to be out of the castle by dawn. You can still sleep some more if you’d like."
She was dressed completely differently from last night. Instead of just a robe, she wore a full dress, a corset tied around her waist, and a skirt so voluminous it looked like she was hiding at least two people under it. Her hair was also done, tied up to expose her shoulders. A simple necklace rested on her neck, drawing attention to her collarbones—or perhaps two other things.
"Nay, thanks," Rose replied with a smile as she moved to a sitting position. Her back was sore, but at least it didn’t hurt as much as it would have if she had slept on the hay bed.
"How’s your back?" Delphine suddenly asked.
Rose’s eyes widened, and she lifted her head to meet Delphine’s gaze. "Ye knew."
Delphine shrugged. "There was a commotion when I arrived. I might have asked around."
"Thank ye," Rose said softly.
"Don’t mention it. Well, I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other again, at least not anytime soon. With you here, I doubt..." She paused, smiling knowingly. "I best be on my way. Oh, that reminds me."